Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup

This Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup recipe is totally hearty and comforting, full of the best savory flavors, easy to make, and it’s guaranteed to warm you right up!

Guys, this soup.

It’s only the middle of September, and I have already made it threetimes this past month. And when I say three times, keep in mind that I’m now married to a handsome vegetarian who won’t come anywhere near this one. Which means this huge, simmering, delicious pot of soup (plus leftovers) are exclusively for Yours Truly.

And I still can’t get enough of it!

This is probably due in part to the fact that I’m about 30 years late to the party that is cabbage soup. I’m not sure why, but our family never grew up eating it, and for years I used to only think of it only in terms of those crazy fad diets, and never really tried a good bowl until a few years ago. But the second I did — oh man, guys — it was cabbage soup love at first bite. Especially when you add some smoked kielbasa sausage to the picture, and some hearty potatoes, and lots of savory and garlicky seasonings — this feel-good, hearty, savory, delicious soup is comfort food to the max.

I wish I squeeze you all around my table and ladle you up a steaming bowl for yourself right now. But instead, I’m just going to beg you to stir up a pot for yourself. Because this soup = magic. 💛

Cabbage Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video

And the good news? It’s also incredibly easy to make!

Begin with your starring ingredient — a small head of green cabbage. We’re going to use it all in this pot of soup. And even though it’s going to turn into a small mountain of greens once it has been chopped, don’t worry, because it’ll all wilt down once we add it to the soup.

The second most important ingredient here is a good package of kielbasa sausage. Really, you can use just about any kind of smoked sausage here (or even bratwurst). But I’m partial to kielbasa here with its smoky, garlicky flavors (that usually include caraway, too). You’re welcome to use traditional pork sausage here, or chicken or turkey or vegan sausage. You pick.

Begin by sautéing the sausage for a few minutes in a large stockpot(affiliate link) until it is lightly browned. Then transfer it to a separate plate to save for later.

Sauté the rest of your veggies and all of that cabbage, then add the remaining ingredients and let the soup simmer until those potatoes are nice and tender. Season with salt and pepper (I recommend extra black pepper with this one), and soon enough…

…these delicious bowls of cabbage soup will be yours to serve and enjoy.

Instructions

Add sausage to a large stockpot and cook over medium-heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a separate plate, and set aside.

Add the olive oil, leeks, carrots and celery to the pan, and stir to combine. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the cabbage and garlic, and sauté for 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, potatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, cooked sausage, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and tender. Taste and season with a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper as needed. (Also, depending on how seasoned your sausage is, feel free to stir in a extra few teaspoons of Italian seasoning if you think it needs some extra flavor. A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes will also help bring out the flavors.)

Serve warm. Or refrigerate in sealed containers for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

*Feel free to use traditional kielbasa sausage, or any kind of smoked pork, chicken, turkey, or vegan sausage that you’d like. (Bratwurst also works!)

**If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to double-check that your sausage is certified GF.

This soup is excellent! You must use a good quality smoked sausage or kielbasa though to get that good smokey flavor. I also needed to add more broth….probably close to 10 cups total not 6 as the recipe states.

Really enjoyed making this. I did add more stock, and some crushed red pepper seasoning for a little something extra. I also sauteed and used some diced onions (because what isn’t better with onion?), and some barley for heartiness. I think next time I will use beef stock instead of chicken stock though.

Wow!!! I have always been a bit suspect of cabbage, but my whole family LOVED this soup! Yum!!! I threw in the whole envelope of Italian dressing & used a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Super tasty!!! This is my new favorite recipe!!! I also used turkey kielbasa to make a comfort food that’s delicious & not crazy fattening! Who even knew that was possible??? Thanks so much for sharing!

AWESOME recipe. I didn’t have Kielbasa, so I made it with sweet Italian sausage which worked out absolutely amazing. The tiny hints of fennel added such a wonderfully delicious note! I also threw in some chickpeas and cannelini beans and they also worked out perfectly. This soup is delicious! And I love how wonderfully versatile this recipe is. I served it with garlic croutons, a sprinkling of parmesan and some freshly chopped parsley and the family gave it rave reviews. They loved it! To be honest, no one was too excited when they heard cabbage soup was on the menu, but afterwards everyone wanted to know when I was making it again! Thanks so much for this recipe Ali! For sure it’s going to be a family favorite for many years to come!

I just made this for lunch, and my husband and I loved it. I made a 4 qt pot full so we have enough for a few more meals. It’s a hearty soup that will warm up a cold winters day. We dipped slices of asiago bagel in the juice. I added more broth to have lots of juice. I will keep this recipe for a long time. Thanks from another soup lover.

Just made this recipe with the following tweaks. I somehow only got one leek instead of three, so I substituted a small yellow onion in addition to the leek. Also substituted dried oregano, basil, and rosemary (crushed) for the Italian seasoning. I used 8 cups of broth (2) 32 oz boxes, as when I poured in 6 cups it didn’t cover the potatoes enough. I also salted the broth (I used reduced sodium broth to be able to control salt levels to my taste) before cooking the potatoes. I also opted to add a small amount of red pepper flakes just to heighten the flavor.

That being said, this recipe is freaking delicious! I love all the flavors and how well they combine together. Super yummy and totally hits the spot! I think next time (because there will absolutely be a next time) I’ll probably wilt the cabbage for just 1-3 minutes longer. Just my personal preference. 5 stars!

I have made this soup multiple times.
It is just wonderful and very satisfying….very nourishing and gluten free too!
It is very easy to make and would recommend to anyone to make it.
I think I will make it again today…It is late April, but a little brisk and rainy.

I found this recipe last year. This is my 4th time making it.
I have to double everything, so I use a huge stock pot.
Everyone just loves it. And bowls of it go out to family members who werent here. I do use onions instead of leeks. I also use chicken bouillon in place of broth so I dont salt it. Probably the only leftovers that get eaten.
(If there is leftovers) Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe

I made this last night and it was really good!
Best cabbage soup recipe I ever made.
And I made a lot of cabbage soup recipes over the years.
Only thing I did different to the recipe i added kidney beans to it.

This sounded so delicious that I had to make ASAP. So I was stuck using what I had on hand. It’s important to mention I’m Asian as it will make sense… ;) I sadly didn’t have cabbage, so I subbed w/baby bok choy (divine), no leeks, no problem I reduced potato by half as I have every intention of enjoying this great recipe and bet rice. Otherwise I followed recipe to a T. in an upside I had fresh off the tree bay leaf and homemade chicken stock. It is still simmering and in looking forward to it. Thank you for sharing!

I made a double recipe. Followed the directions, except used chicken bouillon instead of broth, and Yukon gold potatoes instead of red. Oh, and I forgot the bay leaf.
I will make this again, with a little less bouillon, and take it off the heat sooner because it continues to cook in the heavy Dutch oven. Live and Learn!!

This strikes me as a bit Irish, I’m a Scot descendent but I find it very moreish,(4 cups at 1 sitting). Bit of a guts I know but that’s what good food’s for right? This will be a regular at our table. Many thanks for the recipe

This soup was so delicious! This would be great for Fall and Winter. I made it exactly as the directions indicated and found it to be well seasoned with good flavor. I do not like a lot of broth in soups so this was perfect; if you like to have a lot of broth, you may want to add more. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

This is an Old passed down recipe in our family that traces back to poor families in Ireland. We have never used Chicken stock, celery, olive oil or bay leaves. My grown kids now make it which was passed down from my Granny. Whenever we talk about it, no one ever heard of it, including my husband’s family. They tried to copy it from me, but to this day.. I still don’t give away my secrets.